Ingredient: Lemon pepper

Meyer lemons are a cross between regular lemons and mandarin oranges. This combination creates a very special fruit…still has that distinct lemony flavor but with a background of sweetness from the orange. Suited for the Louisiana climate, Meyer lemons are juicy and add a distinct but understated flavor to any dish. Pork tenderloin’s mild flavor is perfectly suited for this delicious Meyer lemon sauce flavored with butter, wine, garlic and fresh rosemary.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Meyer Lemon Sauce

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If you like lemon flavor, you are in for a treat. This sauce, made with Meyer Lemons, has a citrus profile with a subtle sweetness in the background. Flavored with butter, garlic, white wine and fresh rosemary, it's great on pork, chicken, fish or just about anything you can think about. This recipe marinates a pork tenderloin with a smoky garlicky citrus-ey spice rub. When you add the sauce to the roasted tenderloin, watch out!

If you like lemon flavor, you are in for a treat. This sauce, made with Meyer Lemons, has a citrus profile with a subtle sweetness in the background. Flavored with butter, garlic, white wine and fresh rosemary, it's great on pork, chicken, fish or just about anything you can think about. This recipe marinates a pork tenderloin with a smoky garlicky citrus-ey spice rub. When you add the sauce to the roasted tenderloin, watch out!

Mix all ingredients for the rub together in a small bowl and set aside.

Trim any loose parts off tenderloin and remove the silver skin.

Rub olive oil all over the tenderloins then apply the rub liberally on all sides. Allow the rubbed tenderloins to sit for 30 minutes.

Align both halves of the tenderloin so the thin end of one is matched with the thick end of the other.

Lay Meyer lemon slices on top of the paired tenderloin and tie them together with the butcher twine-make sure the lemon slices are under the twine.

Brush some olive oil on the lemon slices.

In a heavy bottom cast iron skillet, sear the tied pork tenderloin over medium high heat on all sides, starting with the lemon slices first.

Once seared, add about ½ cup of dry white wine to the pan then transfer the cast iron pan into the 425 degree oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until the internal temperature reads about 145-150 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Remove from the oven and place the pork tenderloin on a cutting board to rest. Loosely tent aluminum foil over it and allow the pork to rest while you prepare the sauce.

If necessary, deglaze the cast iron pan with some water to remove any burned morsels on the bottom and wipe out with a paper towel.

Using the same cast iron skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over a medium heat, then add the shallots and crushed garlic.

Saute until the shallots are starting to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the flour and stir or whisk together until a light roux develops.

Add the lemon zest, lemon slices and some kosher salt and pepper. Let the lemon slices have direct contact with the bottom of the pan so they get a slight sear for a couple of minutes.

Add in the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, wine, stock and fresh rosemary and increase the heat until starting to simmer.

Stir well and bring to a simmer. Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and shake the pan while that melts-simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes while the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.

Snip off the butcher twine and slice the pork tenderloin on the bias. Remove the lemon peels and rosemary from the sauce and spoon over the sliced pork.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have Meyer lemons you can substitute 3 tablespoons of lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon of mandarin orange juice (or any other sweet orange) for the Meyer Lemon juice. The zest and slices of regular lemon or oranges will work fine.

When mixing the rub, try to use no-salt lemon-pepper mix. If you can't find that, cut back or eliminate the extra salt.

I do not recommend purchasing the pre-marinated pork tenderloins that are available in the meat department. First, they are generally high in sodium content and secondly, you want to control the flavor profile of your dish.

Prepare the penne as directed on the box; set aside. Reserve some of the pasta water

Apply the Chicken Seasoning liberally to the chicken tenders and set aside

Peel the tomatoes by lightly making a cross hatch over the stem end trying just to pierce the skin. Drop in heavily boiling water a few at a time for 4 or 5 minutes, then remove to an ice batch. After a few minuted in the ice batch, the skin should easily peel off. Rough chop the tomatoes and set aside in a bowl.

Add a couple tablespoons olive oil to pan over medium high heat, saute/grill chicken in sauce pan until browned on all sides. remove from pan and set aside.

Spinach is the ultimate side dish-it's rich and flavorful and goes well with many things. Its great by itself but can be dressed up in unbelievable ways. It also freezes well and is great fresh. This recipe takes a nice creamed spinach and blends in sauted mushrooms for a wonderful side dish-rich and flavorful and goes great with steak, pork chops, chicken, etc., etc.

Spinach is the ultimate side dish-it's rich and flavorful and goes well with many things. Its great by itself but can be dressed up in unbelievable ways. It also freezes well and is great fresh. This recipe takes a nice creamed spinach and blends in sauted mushrooms for a wonderful side dish-rich and flavorful and goes great with steak, pork chops, chicken, etc., etc.

Add shallots to pan when butter has begun to foam and sauté until starting to clear.

Add garlic, sauté until aromatic-about 1 to 2 minutes

Add mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes

Add 1 TBS of butter and the Herb and Spice Blend and mix well.

Continue sautéing mushrooms and spices until starting to brown, stirring often so it doesn't stick.

Deglaze with white wine, mixing well and getting the fond off the bottom of the pan. Allow to reduce to about half.

Add remaining 1 TBS butter and the cream, mix well and bring to a simmer.

When butter is melted, add the spinach. Mix well and simmer until thickened.

Add Romano cheese and mix well.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Recipe Notes

Using the frozen spinach which can be steamed in the bag (in the microwave) really makes this easy. Once steamed, place the spinach in a colander or strainer to let any liquid run out. If you use regular frozen spinach, drain all the liquid then squeeze the excess liquid out.

Many commercial creole seasonings (and lemon pepper) have a lot of salt, so keep that in mind when you use these products.